Elisabeth Söderström

Elisabeth Anna Söderström (7 May 1927 – 20 November 2009) was a Swedish soprano, renowned in opera and song. Born in Stockholm, Söderström received her first musical schooling from Adelaïde Andrejeva von Skilondz and later studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. She made her debut in 1947 at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre singing in one of Mozart's lesser-known works Bastien et Bastienne. From 1949 to 1980 she called the Royal Swedi... more

Elisabeth Anna Söderström (7 May 1927 – 20 November 2009) was a Swedish soprano, renowned in opera and song. Born in Stockholm, Söderström received her first musical schooling from Adelaïde Andrejeva von Skilondz and later studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm. She made her debut in 1947 at the Drottningholm Palace Theatre singing in one of Mozart's lesser-known works Bastien et Bastienne. From 1949 to 1980 she called the Royal Swedish Opera her home but she frequently appeared at some of the largest opera houses in the world. She was also a regular visitor to the recording studio. Between 1959 and 1964 Söderström was contracted by the Metropolitan Opera in New York to which she would return in 1983-87. Her last stage performance was in 1999 in Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades at the Metropolitan Opera. During her long career, Söderström made a name for herself as a technically perfect and at the same time warm soprano with a personal style which allowed her to sing in a... less